Wine-savvy

[masi]

Yup.  then if the foie gras is bad it should be called "foo grease".

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more of "foo tris"!! what's up dude? are we or aren't we?

[boibastos]

it sure looks like it kicks ass

 

so when will you be converted to wine, amigo?

the wine world has several bloody rippers too

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Beer has always been the love of my alcohol life. Ever since that first bottle of San Miguel Super Dry swept me off my feet, (or was that a waiter throwing my drunk ass into a car?) it truly has been alcohol love.

 

I must confess however, that wine has served as an alcohol mistress to me recently. In fact, another quest of mine is to hunt down this excellent merlot I had back in '96. A friend served it at a dinner party and I forgot to ask about it till about a year later when he forgot. I've had the Gato Negro (passable but not what I'm looking for), Oxford Landing (crap), Jacob's Creek (their Shiraz is way better) Stimson Estates (good, but not great) and other some other French and Italian versions, but that merlot continues to elude me.

 

My search though, discovered a J.P. Chenet white semi-sweet wine which I enjoy. Thank God they serve it in Le Provencal in Shang.

[masi]

hmmm.... this thread is pretty quite.... must be PROHIBITION!!!!

[bods1000]

Beer has always been the love of my alcohol life. Ever since that first bottle of San Miguel Super Dry swept me off my feet, (or was that a waiter throwing my drunk ass into a car?) it truly has been alcohol love.       

 

I must confess however, that wine has served as an alcohol mistress to me recently. In fact, another quest of mine is to hunt down this excellent merlot I had back in '96. A friend served it at a dinner party and I forgot to ask about it till about a year later when he forgot. I've had the Gato Negro (passable but not what I'm looking for), Oxford Landing (crap), Jacob's Creek (their Shiraz is way better) Stimson Estates (good, but not great) and other some other French and Italian versions, but that merlot continues to elude me.

 

My search though, discovered a J.P. Chenet white semi-sweet wine which I enjoy. Thank God they serve it in Le Provencal in Shang.

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Most of us started with beer. I myself drink it when I'm with most other people. In fact with the interest in Aventinus, my interest in the brew has suddenly perked up again.

 

Well, your search for that merlot I guess is only a pipe dream now. Better stoke your interest further and look for other wines because believe me there's a whole universe of wine out there. One lifetime would not be enough to finish the search but I believe it's in searching that we get to fulfill the thirst in our soul.

 

cheers!

no problem if you keep plugging with beers here....after all, it's just a breath (or two or three bad breaths) away from wine.

[bods1000]

hmmm.... this thread is pretty quite.... must be PROHIBITION!!!!

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that's a SOBERING thought, pare.

cheers!

[tentacle]

now that's a good piece of information - thanks a lot, ms. tentacle.

Did you get to taste it?

 

I think sbm is going back to BKK for some unfinished business <hint hint>

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yup! i loved it. i so loved it that i bought 6 bottles and brought them to manila. i got the light aventinus which is fruity and really easy on the palate but gives a strong kick after you finish a bottle. i'm down to the last bottle, though. (obvious bang tinipid-tipid?)

[agxo3]

Beer has always been the love of my alcohol life. Ever since that first bottle of San Miguel Super Dry swept me off my feet, (or was that a waiter throwing my drunk ass into a car?) it truly has been alcohol love.       

 

I must confess however, that wine has served as an alcohol mistress to me recently. In fact, another quest of mine is to hunt down this excellent merlot I had back in '96. A friend served it at a dinner party and I forgot to ask about it till about a year later when he forgot. I've had the Gato Negro (passable but not what I'm looking for), Oxford Landing (crap), Jacob's Creek (their Shiraz is way better) Stimson Estates (good, but not great) and other some other French and Italian versions, but that merlot continues to elude me.

 

My search though, discovered a J.P. Chenet white semi-sweet wine which I enjoy. Thank God they serve it in Le Provencal in Shang.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Most of us started with beer. I myself drink it when I'm with most other people. In fact with the interest in Aventinus, my interest in the brew has suddenly perked up again.

 

Well, your search for that merlot I guess is only a pipe dream now. Better stoke your interest further and look for other wines because believe me there's a whole universe of wine out there. One lifetime would not be enough to finish the search but I believe it's in searching that we get to fulfill the thirst in our soul.

 

cheers!

no problem if you keep plugging with beers here....after all, it's just a breath (or two or three bad breaths) away from wine.

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I think we ALL started with beer! It was the ost accessible, and the most available, and certainly the cheapest! :cool:

 

Bods is right - that merlot is long gone and you will be extraordinarily lucky to find it again. And even if you do, it will likely taste different now. Wine changes with age, and can be radically diferrent vintage to vintage. Your best bet is ti find some wines that are consistently (year to year) in the range of what you like and make those your regulars.

 

Then you can go exploring - what I've found is that I continually find good wines to add to my list. When I find one that I think is extraordinary, I buy at minumu of 3 bottles - one to drink now, one to pop in a few years and one that will be opened at what I hope will be its peak. It's all a guessing game, however, and I have been wrong more times than I care to admit!

 

And some wines, I buy by the case - the better to have a stock to draw from over the hears.

[bods1000]

yup! i loved it. i so loved it that i bought 6 bottles and brought them to manila. i got the light aventinus which is fruity and really easy on the palate but  gives a strong kick after you finish a bottle. i'm down to the last bottle, though. (obvious bang tinipid-tipid?)

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hindi ka naman nang-iinggit nyan, ms. tentacle

well I will look for it here. Kung wala, wine na lang uli!

 

would you remember how much does a bottle cost?

[bods1000]

I think we ALL started with beer! It was the ost accessible, and the most available, and certainly the cheapest!  :cool:

 

Bods is right - that merlot is long gone and you will be extraordinarily lucky to find it again. And even if you do, it will likely taste different now. Wine changes with age, and can be radically diferrent vintage to vintage. Your best bet is ti find some wines that are consistently (year to year) in the range of what you like and make those your regulars.

 

Then you can go exploring - what I've found is that I continually find good wines to add to my list. When I find one that I think is extraordinary, I buy at minumu of 3 bottles - one to drink now, one to pop in a few years and one that will be opened at what I hope will be its peak. It's all a guessing game, however, and I have been wrong more times than I care to admit!

 

And some wines, I buy by the case - the better to have a stock to draw from over the hears.

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I think even if he finds that brand again, the tasting experience might be different now. Our palates and expectations change over the years. Much like a movie - the impressions you had with a film you saw 20 years ago would now be vastly different when you watch the same film today. Also with that label of wine you enjoyed some years back. The key as agxo observed is to continue exploring.

As the NOrth Face slogan said - NEVER STOP EXPLORING.

 

now that's truth well-told hehehe

cheers on this vastly rainy and wet morning!

[masi]

my orientation to alcohol was in high school; my father had a party at home and my brother and i were designated bartenders, essentially making sure there were glasses, ice, cola and the other stuff. we got curious and we mixed gin and 7up. that was a great mix buti broke into hives after. my initiation to beer was in college, i really found it too bitter to my liking. but i figured if i drank more of it, it might just take better. lo and behold, it did!!! lately, beer is not kind to me. i may have developed some form of allergy on some of it's ingredients and clogs my sinuses when i drink more than my usual 2. but a bottle or two would still be good. my beer of choice is draft, unfiltered, but since there is none, smb lite is my substitute.

Edited August 5, 2005 by masi

[agxo3]

my orientation to alcohol was in high school; my father had a party at home and  my brother and i were designated bartenders,  essentially making sure there were glasses,  ice, cola and the other stuff. we got curious and we mixed gin and 7up.  that was a great mix buti  broke into hives after.  my initiation to beer was in college, i really found it too bitter to my liking.  but i figured if i drank more of it, it might just take better.  lo and behold, it did!!!    lately, beer is not kind to me.  i may have developed some form of allergy on some of it's ingredients and clogs my sinuses when i drink more than my usual 2.  but a bottle or two would still be good.  my beer of choice is draft, unfiltered,  but since there is none,  smb lite is my substitute.

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Beer is high in what are called histamines - the stuff that causes allergic reactions - so you're reacting much as i would to pollen (I have what's called hay fever, which is an allergic reaction to pollen of various types). Try taking a non-drowsy anti-histamine when you drink beer. It should help. Wine also has hitamines but to a much lower concentration, which is probably why you don't react to wine quite the same way and to the same degree.

[masi]

Hahaha dahil wala akong FR eh ito ang contirbution ko for the day .... snatched it from Inquirer News Service.  Sounds like a real interesting place!

 

Lovin’ a Vigne

And the staff is impressively well-versed with vino lingo (owner Tita Trillo even sent her dining manager to France to acquire an appreciation and learn the language of wines). Ongoing is La Vigne’s version of the happy hour. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, 6-8 p.m., guests can drink as much varietal wine as they can with free appetizer for only P495.

 

 

Mostly French

The duck was paired with apricot chutney. Indeed, Sotto seems to have mastered the art of balancing the deadly with the friendly to produce for the palate a heavenly aftertaste.

 

Inventive

 

Dessert at La Vigne is an event of its own. Chef Sotto’s wife, fashion designer Michi Calica, discovered Kazzie Sy, a creative, young pastry chef who can hold her own against the ingenuity of chef Jose. Once almost tied down by a famous red bakeshop, she was convinced by the Sottos to take the road less traveled (in her case, Yakal) to have the space to explore her creativity in pastries.

 

Kazzie’s chocolate cake (they call it Devil’s Foodcake) is soft and moist as it should be, but what got my attention was a miniature banig-looking peanut brittle-like flat candy on its side. No, it wasn’t peanut brittle, but caramelized carrot! After learning that Kazzie carefully molded each strip of caramelized carrot to form the woven texture of a mat, it felt like sacrilege to take another bite. (But I gave in anyway!)

 

Another creative invention of Kazzie is her Bibingka Pot De Crème. Pot de crème’s traditional flavor is vanilla, with chocolate a favorite variety, but Kazzie got adventurous and used salted egg and coconut milk to achieve a unique bibingka-ish flavor. For those of you who care for dessert but nothing too sweet, this is the perfect alternative.

 

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I had a light lunch at La Vigne today. I was utterly curious about the place that i could not sit on my pants literally, before the weekend starts.

 

A typical friday noon, with sporadic gusts of wind and rain. The usual pot holes on Buendia and flash floods along sections of Yakal Street. Traffic congestion piled up even before I could reach bianca's (yes bods, the wine bar across santis is still there).

 

Finally I saw the sign (not the song, again!) "La Vigne" and "Titania Wine Cellar, Inc.". It was the Anthony's of old. As I enterred, it was a familiar rustic sight albeit more orderly without the stacks of wine all over the place. I was met by August (the former manager of Magnum) and he showed me around including the "bodega" where cases of wine ran floor-to-ceiling. I told August that I was looking for a few bottles of Tempranillo and he showed me "Vina Albali Gran Reserva 1997". August asked me if I had lunch and replied to the negative. He said that I should try their fare and I obliged.

 

I considered a light lunch as I was keen on sampling the chocolate cake mentioned in the article. I ordered a New World Starter, duck breast, basmati and apricot chutney, greens with a coriander vinaigrette. I have to give credit to the way food was presented and the balance in the taste. It was art in itself. The coriander dressing was bright and lively topped by the sweetness of the apricot chutney! I was also served a basket of toast baguette with an arugula pesto dip (a novelty, as far as I am concerned!) The lunch experience was excellent, thus far!

 

I had a glass of Mouton Cadet Sauvignon Blanc 2002, vibrant citrus bouquet , golden hues(place was not brightly lit so it maybe deceiving), moderately sweet and dry with hints of raisins, chewy, balanced mouth and a smooth and seamless follow through. It was served in a signature Mouton Cadet glassware. (I read that in California, high lead glassware should have attendant health risk warning when sold. Is this true?)

 

I had my dessert and an Illy espresso. The choco cake, as described above, was abit tough and had a cup cake texture (segafredo's is still better) but the carrot banig was something you ought to try. It was served together with a vanilla sorbet which was crispy (frozen just right) on a basket of peanut brittle (see photo). The choco cake was quite a disappointment as I expected something more decadent than I!

 

Of course, the espresso finish will always be tops on my list. In the process, I met Tita Trillo (second meeting for me, I met her last December at Cork.) she gave me a 15% discount on food, wines and case orders! I also spoke with August (not Augustmoon!) and he said, it will be his pleasure to arrange a session with "Wine Savvy" peers.

 

My overall experience today was pleasurable! To me, true dining places are a run out from the beaten path... not in malls, please! I would go back to this place and give their full course a shot. Who knows the foie gras may turn out to be just as impressive. Sad part of the day was going back to the office!

Edited August 5, 2005 by masi

[masi]

a gesture of my generosity...

[floppydrive]

I had a light lunch at La Vigne today.  I was utterly curious about the place that i could not sit on my pants literally, before the weekend starts.

 

A typical friday noon, with sporadic gusts of wind and rain.  The usual pot holes on Buendia and flash floods along sections of Yakal Street.  Traffic congestion piled up even before I could reach bianca's (yes bods, the wine bar across santis is still there).

 

Finally I saw the sign (not the song, again!) "La Vigne" and "Titania Wine Cellar, Inc.".  It was the Anthony's of old.  As  I enterred, it was a familiar rustic sight albeit more orderly without the stacks of wine all over the place.  I was met by August (the former manager of Magnum) and he showed me around including the "bodega" where cases of wine ran floor-to-ceiling.    I told August that I was looking for a few bottles of Tempranillo and he showed me "Vina Albali Gran Reserva 1997".  August asked me if I had lunch and replied to the negative.  He said that I should try their fare and I obliged.

 

I considered a light lunch as I was keen on sampling the chocolate cake mentioned in the article.  I ordered a New World Starter, duck breast,  basmati and apricot chutney, greens with a coriander vinaigrette.  I have to give credit to the way food was presented and the balance in the taste.  It was art in itself. The coriander dressing was bright and lively  topped by the sweetness of the apricot chutney! I was also served a basket of toast baguette with an arugula pesto dip (a novelty, as far as I am concerned!)  The lunch experience was excellent, thus far!

 

I had a glass of Mouton Cadet Sauvignon Blanc 2002, radiant bouquet with some tinges of raisins, golden hues(place was not brightly lit so it maybe deceiving), moderately dry, balanced mouth and a smooth and seamless follow through.  It was served in a signature Mouton Cadet glassware. (I read that in California, high lead glassware should have attendant health risk warning when sold. Is this true?)

 

I had my dessert and an Illy espresso.  The choco cake had a cup cake texture but the carrot banig was something you ought to try. It was served together with a vanilla sorbet which was crispy (frozen just right) on a basket of peanut brittle (see photo). The choco cake was quite a disappointment as I expected something more decadent than I!

 

Of course, the espresso finish will always be tops on my list.  In the process, I met Tita Trillo (second meeting for me, I met her last December at Cork.) she gave me a 15% discount on food, wines and case orders!  I also spoke with August (not Augustmoon!) and he said, it will be his pleasure to arrange a session with "Wine Savvy" peers.

 

My overall experience today was pleasurable! To me, true dining places are a run out from the beaten path... not in malls, please!  I would go back to this place and give their full course a shot.  Who knows the foie gras may turn out to be just as impressive.  Sad part of the day was going back to the office!

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Great FR!!!! So when is the La Vigne WEB?

[pinoy_strigoi]

Ei Masi:

 

Don't eat and drink alone. Isama mo kami ni Bods para masaya. Food is best enjoyed when partaken by another, and another and another and another.